Thanks for sharing the pics. I think lions are disgusting animals, but that is just my opinion. Beware of 15 year old chimpanzees! One just went ape s*$t (sorry, couldn't resist) here in the states and almost killed (she actually may not survive) the owners friend. It was very sad for all involved, including the chimp who was destroyed.

mmt, it is difficult for me to comprehend that one can view lions as disgusting. disgusting is a strong word for a beautiful magestic animal.

the thing about the chimp. i have strong feelings about that. if one chimp must die so first worlders can get the message that it is not right to keep chimps as pets then his life was well spent. the human, relatively speaking, if you compare one indivudual to the total of the species with reference to chimps versus humans, then her death is irrelevant. the so called owner of the chimp should be held responsible. i think death to her would be appropriate if one takes into consideration how many chimps died so she could have her "pet" and the relative loss to the total chimp genetical pool.

seaspray, these are photos i took on my last trip to the kruger national park, a vast (very vast) expanse of unspoilt africa. it is where my soul is nourished. i feature the kruger on my blog quite occasionally. the wild animals have been eradicated to make way for us humans, so not a daily occurrence

Bongi- I don't mean disgusting to look at, it is what I have seen of the habits and social attitudes of the male that disgust me. The female still has my respect for putting up with the male. I think cheetahs (my favorite) and tigers, leopards, panthers, basically all other big cats are magnificent. Perhaps because the lion is "king" he has lost his manners :D

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely NOT on the humans side of the chimp situation. I get so infuriated by animals being destroyed simply because humans are so ignorant. This chimp was simply acting as any 15 yr old male would have, by trying to establish dominance, just like he is programmed to do in the wild.We constantly invade wild animal's habitats and wonder why they are in our backyards, then we cry for them to be destroyed because they are a nuisance. Wild horses are destroyed every year because they 'destroy the land by overgrazing because the population has grown too large.' The real reason is that they compete with cattle for feed and there is a lot of money in cattle, not so much in wild horses. There is often a bounty on coyotes, they are planning mountain lion hunts to 'control the population', fox often have a bounty, bears who continually return after being relocated several times, to a dumpster at a home in the mountain, will be destroyed. All because they threaten people who are destroying and encroaching on the animals habitat, or they threaten domestic, ie profitable, livestock. I hold strong Native American beliefs and these things sicken me so when I hear about them that I feel like I will explode.

mmt, now you confuse me. you justify the chimp being a chimp (which by the way i agree with) but somehow when a lion is a lion this goes against your refined western (not native american or any other indigenous culture) sentiment. you might be interested to know male chimps beat female chimps into submission. lions don't do that. in fact lions have a bit of a bad wrap in the media.

also wild horses in north america were introduced by the conquistadores. they are not even indigenous to north america. their numbers in all likelihood are out of control because they have no natural predators. humans put them there. it seems appropriate if humans take on the roll of the predator. kill a few. why not.

killing animals that actually belong there when their numbers may be threatened makes a lot less sense, not that sense has played much of a role in human interaction with animals before.

sorry but i see no strong native american beliefs here. an indigine would have respect for a fellow predator like a lion and wouldn't be so westernly sentimental about an invader species like a wild horse.

Bongi, whilst your comment is valid and logical, I'm wondering if MMT's "Native American beliefs" are more in line with their affinity with the Spirit of the Animal against any behaviour or history thereof.

Of course MMT, if this is the case, then the SPIRIT of the lion is - as Bongi said - majestic and doesn't relate to his (or her) behaviour. Ditto the chimp. So it appears that you are applying human views on the animal kingdom, but I could have misinterpreted.

Personally, I think wild animals should have been left where they started out, and if we want to see them, go to places like the Kruger. In my opinion, the second man interfered, thus messing the natural order up, it gave animals the licence to defend themselves. We wouldn't bat an eyelid if a human were to defend themselves, so why are we so amazed when an animal does?

MMT, I'm unsure which comment has insulted, so I will say it wasn't my intention to insult. My para to Bongi said "I'm wondering..." in an effort to understand your beliefs. My para to you said "... I could have misinterpreted". If I did, you only had to say. If however you're insulted about my third para, then that's simply a difference of opinion. I'm a South African and also have strong beliefs about how animals should be treated. In fact, I hold strong beliefs about all of God's creation and creatures.

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the aim of this blog is to give insight into the mind of a particular surgeon, me. although every story is loosely based on fact, patients have been changed suitably to protect their identity. the opinions expressed are mine alone and are not meant to be considered medical advice or the opinion of any institution.